Chain Letter-- The Return of the Fun R Horror Movie

I have to admit it has been a long time since I enjoyed a really good solid, rated R horror movie with a killer offing a bunch of unsuspecting victims. The rash of PG-13 horror movies really left a bad taste in my mouth. The last original (non-remake) slasher horror movie I enjoyed was the original Saw movie.

So when I had the chance to attend the ONLY sneak preview of Chain Letter at last week's Horror Realm in Pittsburgh, I knew two things: 1) I wanted to see the movie and 2) I was terrified it would suck.

I am very happy to report that the movie does not in anyway suck. In fact, it has stuck with me all week and I can't wait to see it again.

Why was Chain Letter so good? First off, even though it is an independent film, the production value is amazing. It has the look and feel of a major motion picture. Also, the cast is solid with really good performances from genre favorite Brad Dourif and Twilight's own Nikki Reed.

In some ways, the plot from Deon Taylor is very simple: a chain letter goes out via email to a bunch of teenagers. If you delete the chain letter, you die. Your only hope is to pass it on, but what if it keeps coming back to you? The web grows every wider as the teens keep forwarding the chain letter and the death toll grows. The script actually gives a reason for the brutal killings, that I rather enjoyed, and it definitely pokes fun at our obsession with social media and being constantly connected.

The kills are truly the highlight of the film though. I am not much into slasher films, but the fake outs, surprise deaths, and downright elaborate death scenarios left me impressed. I really enjoyed the playfulness of some of the death scenes. What do I mean by this? Well, at one point one of the potential victims is in his bedroom and shouts "Come and get me." The response from the killer had the audience both gasping and laughing. I grabbed my friend next to me as we were both horrified, but tickled to death by his demise.

And how the movie ends...I applauded. I loved it. And my friends watching it with me loved it, too. We talked quite a bit about it after the movie was over and we are all hoping that the movie receives more than a limited release. I would definitely watch it again.

So if you like horror films/slasher films, please check out Chain Letter. It really does deserve your attention and it is a lot of fun while delivering some delicious scares. The gore is impressive (see the photo from bloody disgusting) and the plot is solid. I sincerely hope the movie is successful and spawns more Chain Letter films.



I really do highly recommend it